American sprinter Justin Gatlin eliminated in 200m qualifying heat

American sprinter Justin Gatlin is the owner of five Olympic medals, but on Wednesday, his quest for a gold in the 200m came to an end in a qualifying heat.

Justin Gatlin has been the best American sprinter for the past 12 years, and on Wednesday, he may have seen his Olympic career come to an end. Gatlin finished third in his qualifying heat of the 200m sprint, missing out on an automatic bid to the final. Gatlin posted a time of 20.13s, which was 0.03s away from qualifying.

For Gatlin, Wednesday could be the end of an incredible, albeit controversial career. Gatlin was suspended for the first time in 2001, after testing positive for a banned substance. Gatlin suspension was originally two years, but it was reduced to one on appeal.

Five years later, Gatlin was suspended once again, but this time an eight-year ban was levied against him. The suspension was cut in half, and Gatlin began competing again in 2010. Two years later, at the US Olympic trials, Gatlin ran a 9.80s 100m, which was the fastest time ever by a sprinter over 30 years old.

The highlight of Gatlin’s career came in 2004, when he took gold in the 100m at the 2004 Athens Olympics. In that race, Gatlin ran a 9.85s 100m, winning the gold medal by 0.01s.

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Gatlin will be most known for his battles with Usain Bolt, the Jamaican superstar sprinter. Bolt and Gatlin have been battling it out for the past two Olympics and World championships, though Bolt has gotten the best of him more times than not. In their final 100m this past week, Bolt took the gold medal, leaving Gatlin with the silver. Bolt’s time of 9.81s was 0.02s better than Gatlin.

For Bolt, he heads to Thursday’s 200m final, and is expected to sweep the sprint competitions in the Olympics for the third straight Games. With his victory in the 100m this past week, Bolt became the first sprinter to win the gold in the 100m three straight times.